Self-Aligned Gate Jumper for Congested Gate Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor device scaling continues, the challenge of forming reliable and efficient connections between increasingly smaller gate features in semiconductor devices becomes significant, particularly due to the need for smaller spaces and more complex interconnections, which existing technologies struggle to address effectively.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a gate jumper structure that connects adjacent gates via a dielectric cap on the source/drain contact, allowing for the reduction of the number of vias needed to connect gates to the next metal level and enabling signal propagation in congested areas by bridging multiple gates with a single via, while maintaining electrical isolation through the dielectric cap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If traditional via connections are used to connect adjacent gates, then electrical connection between gates is achieved, but the number of vias increases and routing complexity increases in congested areas
Solution Approach 1:
The gate jumper merges multiple via connections into a single continuous conductive structure that spans across multiple gates. Instead of forming separate vias for each gate connection, the gate jumper combines these connections into one unified structure, reducing the total number of vias and simplifying the routing complexity while maintaining reliable electrical connections between adjacent gates.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate jumper extends the connection path into the vertical dimension by routing the conductive material through the interlayer dielectric above the gates. This three-dimensional approach allows the gate jumper to bridge adjacent gates without requiring multiple separate vias at the same level, thereby reducing via complexity while maintaining connection reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If more vias are formed to connect gates in congested areas, then signal routing flexibility is improved, but manufacturing complexity and process difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gate jumper serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides electrical connection between adjacent gates, acts as a routing path for signals in congested areas, and reduces the overall via count. This multi-functional structure improves routing flexibility while simplifying manufacturing compared to forming multiple separate vias for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate jumper is formed during the interlayer dielectric processing stage, before final via formation. By establishing the gate jumper connection path early in the manufacturing process, the design provides routing flexibility for congested areas while avoiding the need to form additional complex vias later, thereby improving ease of manufacture.
3Reliability
If gate connections are made in congested areas, then signal propagation is enabled, but risk of electrical shorting between source/drain contacts and gates increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gate jumper is positioned in the interlayer dielectric above the gates, using this intermediate space as a mediator to connect adjacent gates. This intermediary location provides adequate clearance from the source/drain contacts below, enabling signal propagation between gates while preventing electrical shorting by maintaining proper isolation distances through the dielectric material.
Data Source
AI summary
An approach that provides a method for forming a semiconductor structure with a gate jumper. The semiconductor structure includes a source/drain contact for a semiconductor device and a dielectric cap on a top portion of the source/drain contact. The semiconductor structure includes two gates adjacent to the source/drain contact. The semiconductor structure includes a gate jumper that connects the two gates adjacent to the source/drain contact. The gate jumper surrounds the dielectric cap on the top portion of the source/drain contact. In other embodiments, the gate jumper is over two or more dielectric caps on two or more source/drain contacts and the gate jumper connects three or more adjacent gates that surround a bottom portion of each of the two or more source/drain contacts.